Monthly Archives: March 2015

The Original

Posted in cheese, Maryland, pizza by

Doms

I’ve only been to Dominick’s of Parkville a handful of times.  But, each time keeps feeling like the first.   It’s that good, novel, and wonderful.

The first time, only a few months ago, I ordered the Buffalo Chicken and White Vegetable, and they were both out of this world.  Especially the latter.  I can say that it’s one of the best veggie pies/slices I’ve ever had the privilege of eating.

And the smells.  There’s a smell that comes from their store and from the carry out boxes that’s to die for.  To me, it’s a combination of basil, cheese, sauce, and something else I can’t quite put my finger on.  Maybe I’m not meant to know?

DomsPies

For this visit, I ordered a Cheese and a Bacon Cheeseburger.   That smell was back and better than ever.   How the cheese overpowered bacon and burger meat, I don’t know.  But that’s really saying something.  I was hoping the scents would stay in my car longer.

How beautiful do those pies look?

Even more importantly, how do they taste?

Well the cheese tastes exactly how a cheese pie should. It brings me back to the types of pizza I was eating when I was a kid.  It’s more than comfort food. It’s just comforting.  It makes me feel good.  And the crust is the perfect combination of soft, with a little crunch to it.   And the smell helps!

The Bacon Cheeseburger had a lot to live up to after the cheese, but it delivered.  The meats tasted fresh.  And they poured a lot on top of the mozzarella and cheddar cheese.   This was a wonderful combination all around.  I find cheddar to be an underrated topping on pizzas.

Besides the taste and smell, most important of all, is their customer service.  They knocked it out of the park again.  I’ve always had the inkling to order a large and a medium to go.  I keep forgetting that if I ordered two mediums, that I’m getting a savings of over $10. Now I don’t always remember this fact, but they do! And they’ve been quick to remind me of this detail.  Ladies and gentleman, that’s serving your customers at its finest.   They’re not obligated to remind me of this fact, but they choose to anyway.   That will make me keep coming back and supporting their amazing local business.  Thanks so much guys.   And it makes the pizza taste better too!  They’ve been doing this for over 50 years and that’s one of the reasons why. Class.

DomsLocations

Now, I haven’t been to their Perry Hall or Lutherville locations, and that will come in time.  I can only assume I’ll get the same world class treatment there.

Take good care and enjoy the weekend.

Best,

Ideen

Advertisement

A Hidden Gem

Posted in Mayland, pizza by

Margherita There’s a place to get a slice or a whole pie almost anywhere you look.  I like to change up where I go, so I don’t overdo the same spot and even neighborhood.  There’s an unlimited amount of places to go.  Variety is the spice of life, and pizza!

It’s not just about the big city locales.   The heavy hitters in Baltimore (and in other metropolitan areas) are coming.  As a matter of fact, I wrote about an amazing place last week.   However, l would be doing a disservice if I only talked about those.   There’s treasure in the county.   I posted about one recently.

Today, I will be talking about Margherita’s of Kingsville, MD. And it’s damn good. Honestly, I didn’t know Kingsville was even a town, until a few weeks ago.  And that’s my clumsiness.  I assumed this part of Belair Rd. was an extension of Bel Air.   If you drive past the tiny strip mall, where this pizzeria is located, you will easily miss it. I’ve done it countless times.

Fortunately, one day driving back home from errands, I stopped in and I’m glad I did.  Their nestled in a convenient segue between Baltimore and Harford County.

They do pizza by the slice.  I recall,  during my first visit, getting one cheese and a veggie, and both were wonderful.

For this particular visit, I ordered two whole pies, for me and my friends!  MargheritaPies!

First up, it’s namesake, the Margherita is a very simple, yet delicious offering.   Their homemade tomato sauce, mozzarella, and fresh basil tasted just something out of your family’s kitchen. And that’s a good thing.

Next, their White Pie, happily titled ‘Our White Pizza’, was a joy to eat.  This is a six ingredient bundle of joy. The mozzarella, ricotta, and parmesan cheeses merging with oregano, olive oil, and garlic, make this a hit.   This could have not have come out any better. Amazing stuff. Every flavor was detected and got superior after each bite. MagheritaPies

For more information, on the wine in the photo above, you can click here.

I noticed on their carry out box, of a location in Bel Air. I thought it was a misprint or a former establishment.  But, they’re coming soon.  And I was able to snag some pictures, that can be seen below. APizzaBoxPreviewsNewOne

If you’re ever near the area or are feeling adventurous, I highly recommend Margherita’s.  I have yet to stop by Pasta Blitz, which is their sister store, but can only imagine it’s equal in quality.

And there’s the fun with writing about food or anything you might love.  The choices are abundant and the sky’s the limit. With pizza, we eat it year round, so there will always be something to talk about. As the weather gets warmer, and more people are going out, the posts will reflect that.

In the meantime, enjoy your weekend and enjoy some yummy pizza!

And Happy Spring!

Best,

Ideen

Iggie Pop

Posted in Baltimore, cheese, pizza by

Iggies

The first time I visitied Iggies in Mt. Vernon, a few years ago, I didn’t fully appreciate my time there. I was just looking for a pie to go and to most likely eat in my car.   For a spot like this, it’s almost an insult to the establishment and to me.   Last night was a wonderful dining experience.

When I read the menu in advance, the immediate stand out was the Anatra Arrosta, which is the Roasted Duck.    I was looking for a different type of pie, and this was it.

Woof

I walked in and forgot how cool this place looked on the inside.  There were plenty of photos of Italian Greyhounds, that made this animal lover very happy.    I didn’t fully notice or appreciate the first time, if at all.    For this detail alone, this immediately becomes one of my favorite places.

menu

The menu options were abundant, which nearly led me to stray from my original choice.  But I’m glad I went with my first instinct.

pizza!

So how was the pizza?  Well it was amazing.  The whole ordering process at the counter, to when it was brought to me, took less than 10 minutes.

The simplistic recipe of mozzarella, tomatoes, olives, and shredded duck was absolute perfection.  The personal size I purchased filled me up, and I had about half my pie left.   One of my favorite things is seeing how the cheese is baked into the dough.  And how great does that look here?   The crust is thin and baked perfectly.  I enjoyed eating and savoring each bite.

yum

There’s so much additional charm here.  It’s a BYOB spot, so folks were bringing in bottles of wine and their favorite case of cold ones.   My pairing of choice was the complimentary water in a dixie cup!  This is stuff for the ages folks.

I wish I could say more to give this place justice.  They have a Pizza Of The Moment, which rotates periodically.

pizzabox

My favorite part of all is that they help support local charities, and any that help animals, I am always  a fan of.

The amount of creations I want to try here are plentiful.  Iggies could have a blog dedicated to them all its own.   I will be back.  And soon.

entrance

Thanks so much.

Best,

Ideen

Made Fresh Fridays?

Posted in basil, College Park, ham, Hawaiian, Maryland, mozzarella, pineapple, pizza, ricotta, Washington, white by

autentica

Don’t let the title fool you. I just love alliteration. But, I did not love this weeks selections from Pizza Autentica. And I actually had this on a Monday.

A little road trip led me to the College Park, MD location, not far from the campus of the University of Maryland.   I haven’t lived in the Washington, DC area in nearly 7 years, so I wasn’t aware this restaurant existed, or that they had 8 locations.

This wasn’t a good first impression.  The location seemed cookie cutter and boring.  I didn’t have a good feeling from the moment I walked in.  And the pizza I tried represented that.

pizzaaut

Looks pretty doesn’t it?  Well looks can be deceiving.   I had the Hawaiian first.  And I love ham and pineapple.  But this was disappointing,  The tomato sauce tasted funny.  I can’t describe it exactly.  Perhaps bland is the apropos term.  The ham and pineapple didn’t taste fresh.  And it was just thrown on top of a cheese slice.  The mozzarella didn’t taste much better, so I know how weak their cheese is too.  Nothing about this was authentic.  It just seemed like a slice thrown together with leftovers, near or past their expiration date.

Next, was the white pie, with tomatoes, basil, and ricotta.   This was a little better, but not by much.

In addition, the crusts for both didn’t seem cooked right.  I don’t ask for much.  I just want a pie, or slice, along with the crust to taste good.  This was neither the right way a pie should be toasted nor how it crunches.  It wasn’t the worst I’ve had, by any means, but both choices, seemed lifeless and mediocre.

A fun thing about blogging, or many cool things in life for that matter, is that it can lead you to unexpected and unplanned destinations. In some ways, I am glad that this was my first review of a spot in the Washington, DC area.  I know not every pizza place is going to bring about a positive experience.  Hopefully it’ll get better from here.

Thanks so much.

Best,

Ideen